Xenobiologist

Lead Xenobiology Researcher — Aether Biotech Laboratories

Seattle, WA | January 2023 – Present

• Directed the molecular characterization of 14 novel extremophilic bacterial strains from deep-sea hydrothermal vents, improving metabolic yield by 28%.
• Secured a $750,000 NSF research grant by designing a high-throughput assay to screen synthetic genomes for non-canonical codon translation, reducing target gene identification times by 40%.
• Optimized bioreactor parameters for anaerobic extremophilic cultures, reducing batch runtimes by 18 hours while increasing target protein yield by 23% across 15 pilot-scale batches.
• Supervised 4 junior laboratory technicians, establishing rigorous quality assurance protocols that reduced experimental error rates from 8.5% to 1.2% over a 6-month period.

Astrobiology Research Fellow — Pacific Northwest Space Sciences Institute

Olympia, WA | September 2020 – December 2022

• Simulated Martian soil chemistry to test the growth threshold of 6 methanogenic archaea, identifying 2 viable strains for future bio-signature studies.
• Authored 3 peer-reviewed articles detailing prebiotic chemistry pathways, which received over 120 citations in international astrobiology publications.
• Co-developed an automated microfluidic sampling system for planetary simulation chambers, reducing chemical extraction contamination by 42% across 80 experimental runs.
• Maintained and calibrated chromatography and mass spectrometry instruments, increasing device uptime to 98.7% over 24 months and preventing schedule delays.

Synthetic biology, CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing, Metabolic pathway engineering, Bioreactor scale-up, Extremophile culture, Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), High-throughput screening, Non-canonical amino acids, Aseptic technique, HPLC, Python (bioinformatics), BLAST, R (statistical computing)

Project SynthCode (Synthetic Genetic Codes)

Role: Principal Investigator

Tools: CRISPR-Cas9, Benchling, R, NextSeq Sequencing

Engineered Escherichia coli to incorporate 2 non-canonical amino acids, producing biopolymers with 45% higher thermal stability than wild-type.

Mars Simulation Chamber V2

Role: Technical Lead

Tools: LabVIEW, Python, GC-MS, SolidWorks

Redesigned environmental control software for simulation chambers, maintaining atmospheric pressure stability within 0.5% during 60-day trials.

• Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3) Laboratory Operator Certification (2021)
• ASCP Technologist in Molecular Biology (MB) Certification (2022)
• Advanced Project Management in Biotechnology (2024)

• Languages: English (Native), Mandarin (Fluent), German (Conversational)
• Academic Reviewer: Journal of Astrobiology & Synthetic Biology (2022–present)
• Availability: 4 weeks notice (to transition ongoing bioreactor runs)